Alphabet Soup
by LaylaBinx
Summary: They were screwed. No, actually, they were beyond screwed. Being screwed involved at least a slight glimmer of hope in the near future. They were totally, undeniably, and unquestionably screwed...You know you're interested :P
1. A to E

**Hello all!! Just wanted to play around with some really short little one-shots to see what would turn out!! Multiple pairings, multiple genres, and everything in between!! Hope you all like them!! :D**

**I own nothing =/ Believe me, if I did there would be shirtless Kirk all the time *drool***

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1. Adrenaline

It was almost like an addiction; an overwhelming desire that seemed to take hold of him sometimes. He lived his life on the edge, always had, and the feeling of adrenaline coursing through his veins had become a common occurrence. The racing heart, the increased breathing, the feeling of dizzying weightlessness as he was freefalling through the air…Jim craved it. That's probably why Bones always got nervous when he was standing too close to a window.

**2. Alex**

Jim had lost his first crew member today, a young man only a year or so older than him. His name was Alex Burke and he was from Duluth, Minnesota. The young man had been working in the engine room and his sleeve had gotten caught in a grinding gear; he'd been pulled through before anyone could stop the machine. The remaining crew had held a ceremony for him that evening, simple but heartfelt. It was a hard blow to the fledgling crew, one that could have been avoided. That night, Jim fell asleep with a bottle of whiskey in his hand.

**3. Accent**

The drunker Scotty gets, the heavier his accent becomes; thick almost to the point of being unintelligible. He usually starts to ramble, his voice raising and lower in octaves so suddenly it's hard to listen. The a's become shorter, the e's longer, all jumbled together into a mass of slurred words and phrases. The crew doesn't even try to understand what Chekov says when he gets drunk.

**4. Aloof**

Being in control of one's emotions, the focus on logical thought and decision, that was the Vulcan way. Aloof was how most of the instructors at Starfleet had called it. Spock was aloof; standoffish and detached, always level-headed and logical. But when Vulcan was destroyed, vacuumed into the swirling abyss of the black hole, Spock felt something inside of him break.

**5. Allergy**

No one knew Scotty was allergic to pollen until he showed up on the Bridge one morning, covered in hives and itching. He said it was nothing, just a mild reaction that tended to occur at varying times of the year. That didn't stop Bones from stabbing him in the neck with a hypo and ordering him off of duty for the rest of the day.

**6. Anchor**

The room is silent and dark, the occupants sound asleep in a single bed. At some point in the night, one awakes with a start, heart pounding, breathing labored. There's a soft whisper beside him, a hand, warm and strong, clinging to his own and anchoring him to reality. Comforted by the presence, the other falls asleep once more, nightmares fading into nothing.

**7. Asthma**

Chekov hasn't had an asthma attack in years, so long in fact that he doesn't even carry an inhaler anymore. It was an old, outdated device anyway, very cumbersome to keep with you even before they were outdated. That's why he's surprised when, in the midst of a sudden and violent attack brought on by a dust storm on Heldra VIII, Sulu appears by his side with an inhaler in one hand. Even though visibility is zero, he can breathe easier now.

**8. Awake**

Jim can't sleep. He's had terrible problems with insomnia all his life but its nights like this, when nothing but stars extend as far as the eye can see, he stays awake and stares out into the distance. Its like he's trying to find something he'll miss if he's sleeping. It makes for a really rough couple of nights when there's nothing to do but stare.

**9. Alone**

Loneliness scares him, the thought of being left out and forgotten. He hates that fear, it's a weakness a Captain shouldn't have, but he has it and it gnaws at him when no one is looking. Most people would be surprised to know the Jim Kirk doesn't look for bed partners simply for sex but because he likes having a warm body next to his to remind him that he's not alone. Bones got used to waking up with Kirk in his bed.

**10. Apologize**

Once everything was over, the Narada was destroyed and Earth was safe from Nero's drill, Kirk went off to find the first officer. The older man was standing on one of the observation decks, looking down at the blue and green planet below. He knew Kirk was beside him but said nothing for a long time. Finally, Kirk spoke up softly, his voice full of sincerity and guilt. "I'm sorry…about what I said before…"

**11. Breathing**

There have been several times when Jim has come back from a mission with more bumps and bruises than McCoy can count. There have been times when Jim has come back with most of his blood on him rather than in him. There have been times when Jim gets back and McCoy isn't sure how the hell he's managed to obtain and injury like that. And there have been times, like tonight, where the only thing McCoy can do is sit and listen to Jim's breathing to assure himself that he's still there.

**12. Beer**

Uhura doesn't like beer. She'll drink it if she has to but given the choice she's rather settle for gasoline. That's why everyone is surprised when, on a particularly rambunctious evening, she agrees to play beer pong. Everyone is even more surprised that she's incredibly good at it too. Since that night, no one agrees to play against Uhura unless they want to be black-out drunk by the end of the game.

**13. Blood**

There's something warm and wet dripping down the side of his shirt, down his pants legs and puddling around his shoe. Its uncomfortable, startling in the quantity, and worst of all, its not his. "Bring him over here." Bones demands, clearing the way as Jim staggers through. "Don't worry." He breathes, taking a few unsteady steps. "It's not mine." Bones nods absently. "I know Jim, humans don't bleed green."

**14. Birthday**

For Chekov's 18th birthday, Scotty buys him a bottle of whiskey, Kirk buys a case of beer, McCoy finds a bottle of Southern Comfort, Uhura gets a bottle of wine, Spock finds something that glows blue when the lights are turned off, and Sulu buys a bottle of sake. For some reason, Chekov feels he has to try every single one of these before the night is complete. It definitely explains waking up next to Sulu the next morning.

**15. Beagle**

One morning a beagle shows up on the Bridge. Its surprising, considering they're several light years away from Earth. Scotty appears a few minutes later, excitingly telling anyone who will listen that it's the "Admiral's Beagle", "his prize winning beagle", and "where the hell has is been all this time?" The beagle appears to be in good health, a little skittish around the transporters but for good reason. Scotty names him Warp.

**16. Bedridden**

Breaking your leg is not the worst thing that can happen to you, especially on a Starfleet Ship. Breaking it in three places and then being bedridden for a week while the various drugs and machines work at repairing the shattered bone is pretty terrible though. Jim has never been so bored in his life.

**17. Brawl**

There have only been two bar brawls that Jim has lost in his entire 25 years. The first was the night he met Admiral Pike but, to be fair, 12 against one was a bit of long shot even for him. The second was about a week after they defeated Nero. The brother of one of the cadets killed in Nero's first attack found him sitting at a bar and, without even so much as a warning, knocked him out cold on the bar floor. He awoke a few minutes later with Bones crouching over him and Spock restraining the intoxicated man until police arrived. Jim wished he could say he didn't deserve the punch but he still felt guilty about not predicting Nero's attack sooner.

**18. Banter**

McCoy simply rolls his eyes when Jim and Spock begin their all too familiar banter again. The First Officer will usually point out something in that flat, monotonous voice of his and Jim will counter it for some strange reason (he always has to have the last word in everything) then the argument will start. Jim's usual retort of "your mom" never comes in to play in these arguments because he knows its dangerous territory, but God does it piss him off when Spock wins.

**19. Brave**

There's a difference between bravery and idiocy and sometimes Jim can't tell the difference. Jumping off the platform to save Sulu: brave. Cheating on the Kobyashi Maru: idiocy. Offering himself as a hostage for a madman interrupting a galactic peace meeting: well, there were some grey areas he was still working out.

**20. Books**

Sulu collects books. Not like the digital copies available on every computer system known to mankind but honest-to-God books. He likes the way they feel, the way the pages smell, and he likes to read for hours when he's not on the Bridge. For Christmas, Chekov found an old steam trunk filled with classics like To Kill a Mockingbird, Frankenstein, and a Tale of Two Cities. The look on Sulu's face was worth every cent.

**21. Cut**

There are some days where, out of nowhere, Uhura will randomly decide to cut her hair. The first time was about a month after being on the Enterprise, she showed up on the bridge with her long, silky hair cut to just past her shoulders. It was different, she got many double-takes, but no one seemed to not like it. This morning she had woken up and taken out a pair of silver scissors, cutting her hair just below her jaw. Today was going to be an interesting day.

**22. Child**

McCoy is good with children. He went grocery shopping one day and found a little girl about Joanna's age, crying in the middle of one of the aisles. She was lost, scared, and no one seemed to take notice of her. Forgetting what he had been looking for in the first place, he walked over and smiled, talking to her in the gentle tones of a father trying to comfort a distraught child. He took her tiny hand and walked with her, asking her questions about her mother and telling jokes until the little girl was smiling through her tears. They found her mother, searching frantically for her daughter, towards the front of the store. McCoy thought about saying some rather unpleasant things about losing one's child but the look on the mother face when she saw her little girl said it all.

**23. Cold**

Jim can't stop shivering, no matter how many blankets are piled on top of him. Falling through the ice was bad enough but then getting lost in the snow? God, today sucked. He was trembling all over, muscles spasming as they tried to re-warm themselves. The heater on the table wasn't helping and neither was the IV sticking out of his hand. It wasn't until Bones slid into the bed next to him, gathering the younger man in his arms, did the shivering stop.

**24. Careful**

Jim tells all of his crew members to be careful even if they're just retrieving something from a different part of the ship. Being on a Starfleet ship has its own set of hazards (stairs, water pipes, etc) and every one of them could be potentially fatal if they aren't taken seriously. No one is quite sure what to say when Jim trips own the stairs and gets a concussion.

**25. Car**

Jim can hotwire a car in a little under 45 seconds. It's a skill he picked up living in Iowa with a dick of a step-father. He liked to joyride, to get away for a little while, and it was really hard to do that with Frank watching every step he took. That's why, when he was thirteen and had had just about enough, he hotwired the classic car Frank kept in the garage and drove it straight off a cliff. In retrospect, it had been a shame to waste such a nice car but man, had that been a rush.

**26. Cycle**

Uhura hates that time of the month. Absolutely hates it. Shouldn't they have figured out a way to stop this completely by now? Seriously? The cramping? The headaches? The nausea? Honestly?! She sighs as she enters the Bridge, her body aching all over, and just wishes the day would be over. There's a chocolate bar with a smiley face sticker sitting at her consol as she sits down and she can't help but notice Jim turn away innocently as she looks over. She smiles. She'll have to thank him later.

**27. Chess**

Spock is ridiculously good at Chess. He can predict strategies to win a game from his opponent's very first move. He's beaten everyone who's ever played him except for one person. James T Kirk. The younger man had surprised him with his skill and cunning, the way he had carefully and methodically taken control of the game with the Vulcan even noticing. When the final move had been made, Kirk smiled softly, not in the cocky, I-just-beat-you,-in-your-face way, but in the good-game-let's-play-again-sometime way. "King me."

**28. Collapse**

There's no way he should still be standing. Hell, there's no way he should still be conscious, but he is. Standing in the middle of the platform with three terrified children clinging to him is Captain James Kirk. He's trembling, blood staining his clothes from multiple wounds. There's blood running into one eye and streaking his blond hair in gruesome patterns. The nurses run forward to grab the children and McCoy runs forward to grab Jim just as the younger man collapses into a heap on the ground.

**29. Curse**

Scotty likes to curse. Actually, its not that he likes it, it simply that he's become so used to it that he doesn't even notice it anymore. Most of the time Kirk isn't even sure what he says are real words sometimes. But you know, with a Scottish brogue, its really hard to tell.

**30. Caress**

They don't speak in moments like this; words are frivolous and fleeting. She traces his face with her fingertips, her caress memorizing every angle, every curve as if it's the last time she'll ever see him. Her touch is soft, passionate, and completely devoted to him. Words are not needed for anything that passes between them.

**31. Dammit**

McCoy's favorite word is "dammit." His second favorite word is "Jim." His favorite phrase is those two words combined together, "dammit Jim." Like now, he sighs and says, "Dammit Jim, I'm a doctor, not your damn pillow!" when he wakes up to see Jim asleep in his lap. He doesn't have the heart to wake him though.

**32. Decon**

It takes all of five minutes for McCoy to decide that Jim and Scotty are never allowed to go on an away mission together again. The two are stuck in the Decontamination shower, stripped down to their underwear, and giggling hysterically. Physically their fine, the orange pollen their covered in doesn't seem to be affecting them at all, but mentally…well, that's yet to be determined.

**33. Decipher**

Uhura prides herself on being able to decipher almost any language in this part of the galaxy; she didn't graduate top of her xenolinguistics class for nothing. But jarbled, broken words that filter through her monitors have her stumped. That is, until Kirk walks by and mentions that one of her wires is loose. He tightens it absently and the words come in clear as a bell: Klingon. She's surprised at Kirk but doesn't say anything.

**34. Dream**

Being a parent means you automatically begin having dreams about something terrible happening to your child. In one of the more vivid dreams, McCoy watched as Joanna was kidnapped and killed by one of Nero's men and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He jerked awake, crying her name and gasping before he realized she was safe and sound back on earth. It took a long time before he was able to convince himself to lay back down and go to sleep. He needed to call her in the morning.

**35. Drink**

McCoy always drinks on the same night every year: Joanna's birthday. Partially because he's not there to celebrate with her and partially because his bitch of an ex-wife likes to remind him of this every year. Jim drinks on the same night every year for different reasons: his birthday. Partially because it was the day his father died and partially because his mother likes to remind him of it every year. They both sit down with their respective drinks, neither speaking, and proceed to drown their sorrows in alchol.

**36. Disarm**

Spock has the ability to disarm Kirk with a flick of his wrist. Its annoying, embarrassing, and worst of all, it works. The few times Spock has ever needed to take a gun away from his captain, he simply maneuvers the weapon away from him with fluid efficiency. Kirk is convinced he cheats somehow.

**37. Drill**

Jim didn't think when he jumped off the drill after Sulu, he just did it. In retrospect is was a really stupid idea, for all he knew he parachute had been damaged in the first fall and now he was going to drop to his death a couple thousand feet below. But that didn't occur to him until later. All he cared about was getting to Sulu and trying to stay alive long enough to make sure they both made it back to the ship. The mountain speeding toward him wasn't a very comforting thought.

**38. Dynamic Duo**

If you want to piss Jim off, compare him and Spock to Batman and Robin. McCoy discovered this little pet peeve a few days ago and has been using it to his complete advantage. If you really want to piss Jim off, tell him he'd Robin.

**39. Delirious**

Fevers do strange things to Jim, especially if he's sleep deprived to boot. Considering he's allergic to pretty much every painkiller known to mankind, his list of medications is pretty limited and most of the time its easier to simply let the fever burn itself out without the help of medicine. Its only when he gets to that talking-to-the-walls-and-babbling-about-pink-pandas stage that Bones starts to worry.

**40. Early**

Its crazy early when he wakes up, the clock on the wall reading some absurd number that his sleep-fuzzed brain can't even comprehend. He squints at it and scowls, falling back onto the mattress and staring at the dark ceiling. "What time is it…?" A sleepy voice asks next to him and he smiles faintly. "Early." He answers in the same soft, subdued tone. He pulls the body close and closes his eyes. "Go back to sleep."

**41. Eyes**

His mother tells him he has his father's eyes and it makes him sick to his stomach. He hates that he reminds her so much of him, of a man he never knew yet can never come out from under his shadow. Maybe that's why he got into so many fights when he was younger: a black eye looks nothing like his father's. Maybe she'll stop comparing.

**42. Empty**

Gazing out at the nothingness of space makes him feel empty and small, like nothing he ever does will matter in the grand scheme of things. He's saved planets, destroyed enemies, and rescued people who never learned his name. But there will always be more, it's a never ending cycle. Staring out at the yawning openness makes him realize that and he feel hollow. He steps away from the window.

**43. Earth**

Earth is nothing like Vulcan. Vulcan was a dry, desert planet, full of volcanoes, and canyons, and rocky outcroppings everywhere you looked. Earth was different: it had water and trees and animals he'd never seen outside of a text book. Of course he missed his homeworld, he always would, but maybe Earth wasn't such a bad place to be either.

**44. Elders**

Spock was given the opportunity to go with his father and the Elders when they went to start a new Vulcan colony. He considered it, weighed the logical necessities for going, and had almost made up his mind when his older self stepped in to prevent him from going. Never mind the mind-blowing paradox of meeting oneself, his older counterpart insisted he stay with the Enterprise, that he follow a destiny he had not yet uncovered. Spock hesitated for a only a second before agreeing that it was the most logical thing to do.

**45. Elf**

Kirk developed a new nickname for Spock after he was comfortable enough to call him a friend. Instead of the "pointy-eared bastard" christening or McCoy's "green-blooded hobgoblin" approach, Jim had taken to calling him Elf whenever he was too lazy to say Spock (which was pretty much all the damn time) Spock was not very pleased and repeatedly expressed his distaste to Jim to which to Captain promptly ignored.

**46. Embrace**

Jim Kirk was dead. They had all seen it, the way his single-person pod had exploded as it came in contact with the devastating asteroid heading directly toward Saturn's outer rings. The mass would destroy the planet without a doubt and there was nothing they could do to stop it. Kirk insisted on trying but his pod's mechanical system had failed at the last minute and he crashed into the deadly asteroid. The asteroid had been destroyed but Kirk had gone with it. The sorrow was palpable, the disbelief ship-wide and no one could believe it when the young Captain suddenly appeared in the Transport room, a little singed and tousled but most definitely alive. He had beamed back at the last second and managed to make it back to the Enterprise with little more that a few bumps and bruises. He couldn't even get a word in edge-wise as nearly the entire Bridge crew raced over to embrace him.

**47. Entwine**

Spock looks out at the emptiness where Vulcan used to be, nothing but stars and distant planets filling the void. Uhura approaches from the behind, keeping her words to herself. There's nothing she can say so she just offers her presence. Without a word, she entwines their fingers and continues to look on with him.

**48. Eyebrow**

Of all the spectacular talents Jim Kirk has up his sleeve at any given time, he cannot lift one eyebrow and it pisses him right off. Everyone on the Enterprise can do it with one or the other but he can't. Spock is the best at it but when he asks his Vulcan First Officer for tips, the older man simply does exactly what he's been asked about and wanders off. Jim huffs and gives up for the time being. He may not be able to lift one eyebrow but he can still juggle better than anyone on the ship.

**49. Ex**

McCoy hates his ex-wife with a passion. She ruined his life from the moment they got married and tries to continue ruining it even though they've been divorced for over five years. Whenever Jocelynn calls it puts him in a bad mood for the rest of the day and when she randomly shows up its even worse. One day, out of the blue, she shows up at the door, demanding to speak to Leonard. Jim is shirtless, his hair tousled and unruly and he has a towel around his waist. "Let me get him, we just got out of the shower." He says, emphasizing the word "we". Her expression was priceless and he's pretty sure she won't be showing up or calling again anytime soon.

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**Hehe, so the pink pandas thing came from my friend Newspaper Taxis because I thought it was too funny to pass up!! Love ya hon!! :D Hope you all liked it!!**


	2. F to J

**Hey guys!! Wow, this took me a while to compile O.o I chose and scrapped words for like a week before this all came together lol. Same thing applies: all genres, all pairings, and all the awesome-ness in between!! Hope you all like it!! :D**

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1. Fall

There's a burst of adrenaline when you feel yourself free-falling at one hundred miles per second. The air rushing past you, your breath hitching in your throat as gravity makes you its own. The ground looms before you, dry and arid, and there's an eerie silence as a feeling of euphoria envelopes you like the rapidly passing atmosphere. At the very last second you pull the cord on your parachute, the fall halting almost immediately. Your body jerks against the harness, sudden, violent, and you live for moments like this.

2. Fuck

They were screwed. No, actually, they were beyond screwed. Being screwed involved at least a slight glimmer of hope in the near future. They were totally, undeniably, and unquestionably screwed. Jim kept his arm wrapped tightly around the tactical Officer's waist, probably the only thing keeping him upright. Chekov made a small sound but he was nowhere near consciousness, the nasty head wound pretty much guaranteed that. Their communications systems were down, as was transport, so there was no way to locate the missing team members. The ground was crumbling beneath them, hot magma pooling and bubbling to the surface. Jim muttered the only word that could sum up the situation accurately, "Fuck…"

3. Fort

The first time McCoy ever introduced Jim to Joanna, they took an immediate liking to one another. Joanna grabbed Jim's hand with her tiny one and drug him all over the house, Jim following like an obedient lap dog. That night they built a fort in the living room; years of Starfleet engineering had paid off to make the most awesome fort ever to grace that house. McCoy wanted to complain that his "Captain" was keeping his daughter up way past her bedtime but as they popped in yet another Disney movie into the TV, he found that he didn't have much to say after all.

4. Fencing

Sulu is incredible when it comes to fencing. He'd studied the sport since he was a child, mastering every move and stance by the age of 13. He could whip a blade out of his opponent's hand quicker than the other person could blink. He was lithe, limber, and deadly as hell. Kirk had almost laughed when he first found out the Helmsman's talent but now he was glad that he hadn't.

5. Fade

There was a shudder below him as his leg's gave out. Someone caught him, he wasn't sure who, it was too hard to concentrate when you couldn't breathe. He had gone down to sick bay to get medicine for a migraine and one of the younger, less experienced nurses had given him a hypo instead. She wasn't aware that the Captain was allergic to nearly everything in the medical bay and that anaphylactic shock usually occurred when any such drug was administered. He gasped, vision blurring as sirens wailed above him. Someone was holding onto him, brown eyes focused worriedly down at him. He knew he must be dying; Vulcan's never worried about anything. Someone was calling his name but he couldn't hear them as the world faded away.

6. Flora

Chekov is absolutely, positively, never allowed to go on an away mission when a verigas nitripoli fern is present. Apparently, his allergy to the plant is so bad that even being in the same stratosphere causes him to break out in huge welts and hives all over his body. The mission is quick, lasting only a few hours, but its enough to land the tactical officer in the sick bay for the rest of he journey.

7. Fauna

Scotty is absolutely, positively, never allowed to go on an away mission where he can be in contact with the native animals of that planet. He has a bad habit of touching things, being an engineer makes one extremely tactile, and on one of the last missions that proved especially dangerous. Apparently the words "don't touch" don't apply to the acid-spitting tree frogs of Tranus VI. A few acid burns and some dissolved clothing later, the wild-eyed, yet grinning engineer got the point.

8. Football

Jim made it his personal goal to teach Spock everything there was to know about football when they were on shore leave. He found an old, pigskin football, running shoes and an open field and was determined that, by the end of the day, his science officer would know how to play the game. It'd incredibly hard to play foot ball when said science officer dissects the football the second he puts his hands on it, determined to see the interior of the ball. This may be a little harder than he thought…

9. Flask

It shouldn't have been surprising, but off all the things Scotty has ever been proud of (trans-warp beaming aside) his collection of flasks is his most prized possession. He has 76, one from nearly every country in the world, a few from neighboring planets, and few he isn't even sure where they came from. He collects them purely for the fun of it, none have ever been used, except for the one he keeps on his hip. Even that one he'd not sure where it came from.

10. Feline

If Spock had to describe Uhura in one word, it would have to be cat-like. She moves with an unusual grace that he's never seen in any other Earth woman, her dark eyes wide and slightly elongated, vaguely feline. She arches her back and stretches up slowly in the morning, her body uncurling like a panther's. Yes, she's cat-like. She even purrs like a cat in the right circumstances but that's a personal matter he refuses to discuss.

11. Gin

Jim has an incredible amount of respect for Scotty. Its not because the man mastered the theory of trans-warp beaming (though that is pretty incredible) or that he can handle just about any situation with a smile. No, it's the fact that Montgomery Scott is the only man Jim had ever known who can take a shot of Gin without wincing; hell, the man can finish an entire bottle without even batting an eye. Jim's a good drinker but he's not that good. Scott has him completely whipped on the Gin scale.

12. Gaila

Gaila was the only woman Jim had ever felt comfortable enough with the sleep with more than once. He hated being tied down, hated the idea of becoming attached when things could change in the blink of an eye, but she was different. She made him feel…happy. The years of one-night stands from one bar floozy to the next were beginning to fade as he leaned down the kiss her once more. She whispered his name and he smiled. Gaila was different.

13. Gentle

It had been one year; one full year since the destruction of Vulcan. He stared silently out into the stars, looking for a planet that would never be there. His face betrayed no emotion but it was easy to tell what he was thinking. She approached him silently, arms behind her back as if afraid to touch him. When she did, it was soft, reassuring, gentle. Her fingers ghosted over his arms and back, finally resting in between his shoulder blades. She rested her head against his shoulder lightly, not pushing any further. The stars stretched on endlessly and they watched.

14. Green

Red mixed with green, dripping onto his face and pooling in the torn fabric of his shirt. It wasn't a gross green color, like the aliens in the old sci-fi movies; no, this was more of an emerald green color, a shimmering jade that mixed in with dark red the covered his body. Spock was bleeding pretty badly, but then again, so was he. Red mixed with green again, swirling and intertwining. Funny, it almost reminded him of Christmas. He would have laughed if there hadn't been a hole in his stomach.

15. Gas

Jim sat alone in front of the Academy, staring at the yawning openness of space above him. He took another swig of the bottle at his side, staring up again. His mother had called today and the same arguments ensued and he was trying to forget it all. At some point, Spock appeared on the steps and sat down slowly, inquiring as to the Captain's behavior. Instead of answering, Jim said that when he was little, he used to believe that whenever he was having a bad day, the stars would wink at him, almost like his father looking down, and he would feel better. Spock considered this and deemed it quite illogical as stars are actually giant balls of gas that flicker and pulse at random intervals. Jim called him a killjoy and continued drinking.

16. Garnet

Uhura doesn't wear a lot of jewelry, she feels its distracting and gets in the way easily. She does, however, wear a necklace with a small garnet stone attached to the chain. It was her grandmother's something she'd had since she was a little girl and had never gotten rid of. It's kept tucked neatly into her uniform at all times but it never comes off.

17. Goat

Growing up, Chekov had a pet goat named Kevin. There was no real rhyme or reason for it, just a simple little billie goat that lived in the backyard of his parent's house. When asked why he named the goat Kevin, he simply shrugged and said "why not?"

18. Gravity

Occasionally, when going through certain quadrants of the galaxy, the artificial gravity begins to act up and the crew members of the Enterprise are sent floating around the ship like human-sized helium balloons. Anything not bolted to the floor or strapped down is victim to this occurrence and it can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. This is a problem because no one really knows when to expect the fall.

19. Gaunt

Occasionally, during moments of intense tactical planning and study, Chekov will forget to eat. It usually lasts for a few days before anyone notices. Anytime someone asks him if he's alright, he smiles and waves them off slightly, intent of finishing what he's working on. Its not until he begins looking pale and gaunt that Sulu scoops him over one shoulder and literally hauls him into the dining hall.

20. Hatch

It was unsure how the eggs got into the engine room or exactly how long they had been there, all that was known was that they hatched and now there was a batch of lizard-chickens running around the ship. They'd managed to catch most of them, locking them in a glorified laundry hamper until it could be decided what to do with them. They were cute actually, long scaly bodies with downy wings and orange beaks. They couldn't keep them on the ship though, there was always the chance it could turn out like the fabled Tribble Incident.

21. Hangover

There are few things worse than a raging hangover. The headache, the body aches, everything hurt, and it felt like you'd swallowed a handful of steel wool the day after. Jim winced, opening his eyes slowly and looking around the room. Tables and chairs were overturned, various bottles and cans scattered all over the floor. McCoy was half-off the bed, his face a mess of marker and pen, his shirt missing in action. As far as hangovers went, this one was turning out pretty good.

22. Hip

Uhura has birthmark in the shape of a hear ton her hip. Only three people on the ship have ever (or will ever) seen it: Spock, obviously, McCoy, for medical purposes, and Jim Kirk. Jim happened to stumble in on her changing one day and spent the rest of the day with a blazing handprint on his cheek.

23. Heartbeat

He wakes with a jolt, the sudden return to consciousness unwelcome and unexpected. He'd had a nightmare again, one that can't be remembered but leaves you trembling and breathing unevenly. He looks around the room, disoriented in the darkness. Its late, he doesn't have to be up for five more hours. The body next to him shifts slightly, a hand touching his side, comforting and welcome. With a soft sigh, he sinks back into the mattress, head resting against his lover's chest. In the engulfing darkness, it the slow, even heartbeat and the fingers carding through his hair that send him back to sleep.

24. Hobgoblin

One day Spock asked McCoy why he always mutters the word hobgoblin anytime he's around. McCoy just shrugs, saying Spock remind him of some kind of imp or elf with his pointed ears. Spock goes on to explain that pointed ears are a traditional Vulcan trait and how its passed down from one generation to the next through dominant genetics. McCoy walks away calling him a hobgoblin again.

25. Hiccups

Sulu has an unusual problem when it comes to hiccups. His don't last a few minutes or a few hours, they usually last a few days. It doesn't happen often but when it does its damn annoying. The last bout lasted close to week before it was all over with. The crew tried everything from traditional remedies to some not so traditional remedies (ie. Hanging upside down, drinking water, and swinging back and forth). In the end, it took a sudden kiss from Chekov to shock him out of the hiccupping fit. Actually, hiccups didn't sound so bad anymore.

26. Hippocampus

One day, when Jim was flipping through some of McCoy's old medical books, he found the word hippocampus and thought it was by far the most interesting word he'd ever seen. For the rest of the week, his pick up line in bars would be asking women if they'd like to see his large hippocampus. He was incredibly disappointed when McCoy told him it referred to the brain.

27. Hover

McCoy has a bad habit of hovering anytime Jim manages to hurt himself (which is more often than not). He grumbles and gripes about it often enough but truth be told, he'd rather hover than do nothing. He'd been looking after Jim since the first day at the Academy and he didn't plan on stopping anytime soon. Lord knows the younger man would probably self-destruct if he ever did.

28. Hypnotic

The streak of stars as the Enterprise zipped into warp speed was mesmerizing. Billions of stars and planets whipped by in a blur, stretching forward and backwards endlessly. Staring for too long had a hypnotizing effect; Jim would sometimes break off mid-sentence to stare out at the space streaking around them.

29. Hyperventilate

He can't breathe; well, he can but its coming way too fast and not fast enough at the same time. He'd gotten the message this morning: Sam was dead. His older brother, the boy he'd looked up to for years, was dead. Some stupid bar fight had gone south and he ended up with a bullet in the heart. He was gone. Jim struggles to breathe, his chest heaving with each breath and struggling to hold on to the air he felt he couldn't get into his lungs. He feels the cold pavement beneath his knees and he's grasping the desk with every ounce of strength he has. Sam was gone. His brother was dead.

30. Idea

The crew of the Enterprise has gotten used to their Captain's crazy ideas. Most of the time they think there's absolutely no way it will work. The ship will fall apart around them before it works. Kirk is the kind of captain who's just crazy enough to try anything and just sane enough to believe it will work. Of every crazy idea he's ever come up with, none of them have failed yet.

31. Irritable

Scotty has a quick temper and becomes frustrated easily, especially when less experience members of the engineering department start imposing in his work space. He can handle it for a while but when the fifth ensign bumps into him, making his hand fall against the keyboard and mess up the calculations he'd been working on, he irritably grabs a wrench and chases all of them out of the room with threats of bodily harm or worse if they bother him again.

32. Influenza

Uhura hates the flu; it is by far the most debilitating thing in the entire universe. She's only had it twice in her entire life: once when she was eight and now. She's been stuck in bed for the better part of a week, miserable and ready to take McCoy up on his offer of sedation. She hates drugs and uses them only as a last resort and it was getting close to the last resort stage.

33. Isolation

One thing Jim has come to realize since finding Scotty on Delta Vega was that the engineer hates to be alone. Maybe it was because of the isolation of the ice planet he'd been marooned on or maybe there was another reason; either way, Jim can relate. When its quiet and no one is in the engine room, the engineer will often run random errands around the ship simply to have human contact.

34. Irrational

Of all the things in the universe to be afraid of, James Kirk is irrationally afraid of roaches. It makes no sense, absolutely none, but he can't stand them. The way they move, their shape, everything about them freaks him out. God forbid there's ever one on the ship or in his dorm room.

35. Insect

In his study of Earth, Spock was particularly fascinated with entomology, the study of insects. There was hundreds of different species of every size, shape, and color and he was intrigued by all of them. The one he found particularly interesting was the North American cockroach. He often wonders why Jim looks both disgusted and terrified when he manages to capture a specimen.

36. Immodest

Protocol calls for every acting member of the crew to appear on the Bridge in the event of a crisis. Drills are usually run at the Academy and occasionally onboard the ship to test response time. The orders are to stop everything immediately and report to the Bridge for further instructions. On one such drill, the crew was surprised to see their Captain arrive on the Bridge clad in nothing but a towel. Apparently clothing is unnecessary in such drills and if there's one thing Kirk doesn't have a problem with its immodesty.

37. Ivy

For father's day, Joanna bought her father an ivy plant to keep in his office. It's a puny little thing, with long, spindly vines and dark green leaves. She named it Howard. McCoy takes care of the scrawny little plant as if it's the most precious thing on the ship.

38. Itchy

Sunburns suck. Kirk didn't sunburn often but when he did, it was the most irritating thing in the world. He'd messed around and fallen asleep on the beach one day while on shore leave and had burned the entire front side of his body. The burn wasn't the worst part; it was the itching. It felt like ants were crawling all over him all the time and damn was it annoying. He ignored both Spock and McCoy's comments about lack of sunscreen when they saw him.

39. Incapacitate

He'd been up for over 72 hours with no sleep. Even after they'd made is safely away from pursuing enemy ship, he couldn't let himself sleep. There were things to be done, crew members to tend to, reports to file- There was a sharp pinch in the side of his neck and his eyes widened briefly, locking on McCoy in startled accusation. The doctor slipped the hypo back into his pocket and caught the Captain before he hit the ground.

40. Juggle

It was a useless talent really, not something to be overly proud of or excited about. He'd actually forgotten all about it until he met Joanna for the first time. The little girl had looked up at him with wide brown eyes, exactly like her fathers, and watched in amazement as Jim juggled a couple of water bottles in the living room. She'd never seen anything so incredible in her life. Okay, so maybe it wasn't such a useless talent.

41. Jasmine

Uhura really doesn't like to wear perfume all that much; she doesn't like the way most of them smell. They're all too harsh and smell like alcohol as far as she's concerned. The only one she's ever liked came in a simple blue-green glass bottle. Its little more than water and jasmine extract but it suits her perfectly. No one ever questions why Spock's clothes sometimes smell like jasmine.

42. Joanna

McCoy was honestly surprised the first time he saw Jim interact with his daughter. Apparently his inherent charm worked on Joanna just like it did every other woman Jim had ever been around. She giggled and grinned at every word he said and showed him everything in her room. McCoy hoped like hell Joanna wasn't developing a crush on him.

43. Jazz

There's a collection of music in Sulu's room; all of the classic jazz singers from the early 21st century. He loves that kind of music; the smooth lyrics, the lingering notes, all of it. When there's any free time aboard the ship, he'll listen to a few of his favorite tracks, humming along with the words. Recently, Chekov has picked a taste for jazz as well.

44. Jingle

McCoy has a bad problem with Jim slipping out of the Sick Bay and disappearing into the ship before he finishes treating him. The younger man can be deceptively stealthy when he wants to be and can disappear for hours before anyone finds him. To remedy this problem, McCoy took the liberty of sewing a tiny bell on every article of the Captain's clothing while he was asleep. So, unless he wanted to walk around the ship naked (which he very well might do), the jingling would give him away.

45. Jittery

It was quickly discovered that Scotty doesn't handle caffeine very well. He's already on a hair's trigger through most of the day but when coffee or any kind of caffeine supplement is added, he becomes ever more wired. He'll sit at his station, jittery and alert, fingers tapping rapidly on the monitors as the concoction works its way through his bloodstream. Espresso makes it ten times worse.

46. Jail

Along with his medical records, McCoy has Jim's police records. He'd been in jail once for assaulting an officer in a drunken brawl and probably should have gone a second time for hotwiring a car when he was 18. However, his record had been spotless since joining the Academy and hopefully, a single jail-stay was all he would ever have.

47. Journal

For being the CMO of one of the greatest ships in Starfleet history, Leonard McCoy really hates technology. It makes everything too complicated instead of making life easier and it takes away from the satisfaction of doing something yourself. All of his records are automated, all the machines programmed to start up immediately. He feels like he doesn't have a voice anymore. The next day Jim buy him a journal so he can remember what it sounds like.

48. Jaw

There's a glancing blow to his jaw and he stumbles ever so slightly. He squares his shoulders, straightening and focusing on his attacker. He needed to keep him busy for a few minutes longer, at least until everyone was safely onboard. He tastes blood and realizes the hit may be a little harder than he anticipated. The man lunges again and he braces himself.

49. Juice

Uhura likes grapefruit juice. Its bitter and sweet at the same time, not too much of either extreme, and its good for you, which is always a plus. When she was little she used to say it was like drinking a bad day. That philosophy hasn't changed much since then.

50. Jim

The first time Spock ever called him by his first name, Jim was so shocked he could have fallen out of his chair. Well, he could have if he wasn't falling off a cliff. The ground gave way beneath him and he had just enough time to shove the Vulcan away from the collapsing ground before he toppled over the edge. It was hard to hear anything over the crumbling of rocks above him but he was sure he heard the Vulcan cry, "JIM!"

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**More letters and more short-shots to come soon!! :D**


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